16:17 Then some of his disciples said to one another, “What is the meaning of what he is saying, 1 ‘In a little while you 2 will not see me; again after a little while, you 3 will see me,’ and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?” 4
20:19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the disciples had gathered together 5 and locked the doors 6 of the place 7 because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. 8 Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
1 tn Grk “What is this that he is saying to us.”
2 tn Grk “A little while, and you.”
3 tn Grk “and again a little while, and you.”
4 sn These fragmentary quotations of Jesus’ statements are from 16:16 and 16:10, and indicate that the disciples heard only part of what Jesus had to say to them on this occasion.
5 tn Although the words “had gathered together” are omitted in some of the earliest and best
6 tn Grk “the doors were shut”; “locked” conveys a more appropriate idea for the modern English reader.
sn The fact that the disciples locked the doors is a perfectly understandable reaction to the events of the past few days. But what is the significance of the inclusion of this statement by the author? It is often taken to mean that Jesus, when he entered the room, passed through the closed doors. This may well be the case, but it may be assuming too much about our knowledge of the mode in which the resurrected body of Jesus exists. The text does not explicitly state how Jesus got through the closed doors. It is possible to assume that the doors opened of their own accord before him, or that he simply appeared in the middle of the room without passing through the doors at all. The point the author makes here is simply that the closed doors were no obstacle at all to the resurrected Jesus.
7 tn Grk “where they were.”
8 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” In NT usage the term ᾿Ιουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi) may refer to the entire Jewish people, the residents of Jerusalem and surrounding territory, the authorities in Jerusalem, or merely those who were hostile to Jesus. (For further information see R. G. Bratcher, “‘The Jews’ in the Gospel of John,” BT 26 [1975]: 401-9.) Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders.
9 tn Grk “but he said to them.”
10 tn Or “marks.”
11 tn The word “it” is not in the Greek text but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context. The use of “it” here as direct object of the verb πιστεύσω (pisteusw) specifies exactly what Thomas was refusing to believe: that Jesus had risen from the dead, as reported by his fellow disciples. Otherwise the English reader may be left with the impression Thomas was refusing to “believe in” Jesus, or “believe Jesus to be the Christ.” The dramatic tension in this narrative is heightened when Thomas, on seeing for himself the risen Christ, believes more than just the resurrection (see John 20:28).